Me Too!
by Airezi
Summary: Mheetu may not have made it to the big screen with the rest of the Lion King cast but that doesn't mean this feisty cub didn't exist! Follow Nalas' little brother on his adventures as he explores the Pride Lands and learns about his own place in the pride
1. Always too little

_A/N- Hey guys I just wanted to give a little credit where it's due before I begin. First off I want to thank Kari, aka dukacia, for drawing the picture that first inspired me to write a Mheetu story. **Please take a minute to look **at it and some of her other artwork (just copy and remove the spaces for the link)_

**ht tp: / /dukacia. devianta rt.co m/art /Pinne d-ya-7318 0686**

_ You will see exactly where the inspiration comes in during the next chapter (this was originally a one shot that has grown into an actual story now). Also the usual copyright stuff applies, all characters are property of Walt Disney, etc. Enjoy!_

_P.S. The mis-spelling in the first scene ARE done on purpose as the cubs are supposed to be too young to speak clearly._

* * *

**Me Too!**

Chapter 1: Always too little-

The savannah was quiet under the bright, noonday sun. The midday heat had chased all the animals of the Pride Lands into the shade; hiding until the cool of night settled over the land again. All the animals that was, except for a trio of cubs playing under the watchful eyes of their mothers. With a youthful attempt at a growl one of the young cubs pounced clumsily on another.

"Rroww!" the little lioness protested, swatting at him with a cream colored paw. But the golden cub pinning her down was too heavy and merely giggled as she tried to squirm away. "Leggo Timba!" Nala grumbled, still young enough that she hadn't quite mastered all her consonant sounds.

"I'm tumming Nala!" the third cub cried, rushing to the rescue on his short legs. "Raar!" he growled, jumping forward and crashing into the golden cub that had pinned his sister. The two rolled over in a tangle of legs and tails, finally coming to a dazed halt.

"I'll geht oo Mheetu!" Simba challenged in mock anger at the smaller cub. Grinning Mheetu jumped to his feet, thrusting his rump into the air as he crouched in a playful stance.

"Be careful boys!" Sarafina called out just as Simba launched himself at Mheetu. The smaller cub steeled himself for the impact, but his young muscles weren't up to the challenge quite yet. The light yellow of his pelt darkened with dust as Simba knocked him to the ground, and Mheetu growled irritably as the prince began chewing on his ear. Nala suddenly appeared, rolling Simba off the smaller lion.

"Tanks," Mheetu panted, looking up at his sister gratefully.

"I don need yor help!" she spat at him, her cold gaze washing the smile from his face. "I can pin Timba mythelf!"

"Torry…" the smaller male hung his head dejectedly as he rolled onto his stomach. Nala just sniffed, turning her back on her little brother as she focused on Simba again. Mheetu pouted a little as the two bigger cubs wrestled, staring determinedly out onto the savannah and pretending he couldn't see them. Suddenly he felt a heavy weight on his front paw, grinding it roughly into the unforgiving earth. "Ooww!" the yellow cub yelped, trying to pull away as he was suddenly pinned by a furry weight. Simba and Nala had rolled into him as they were wrestling, and the future king had been pushed on top of the smaller cub.

"Geh off!" Nala roughly commanded Simba as Mheetu began to cry in pain. Fervently the little lioness knocked the prince off her little brother, as concerned now as she had been annoyed a minute ago. "You otay?" she asked with heartfelt worry.

"I told you cubs to be careful," Sarafina scolded gently as she came to discover the source of her sons' tears. "You guys can't play so rough around Mheetu, he's a lot smaller and it's too easy for you to hurt him." Tenderly the mother lion checked over the cubs paw, deciding it had just been wrenched and lightly sprained.

"We din't mean to urt him mommy…" Nala murmured, hanging her head in disgrace. Simba nodded in agreement, looking up at the lioness with apologizing eyes.

"I know, but you still need to be careful," Sarafina repeated, picking up her son and retreating back to the shade. "You two keep playing. Mheetu you can stay over here with mommy."

"But I wanna pway!" the cub protested when she set him down. He looked up at her imploringly; his light yellow fur mussed up from the play fight so that a little bit fell into his eyes.

"No, Mheetu," Sarafina said firmly, laying down and dragging him into the protective circle of her paws. "It's time for your bath anyways." The little lion scowled and pouted as she licked the dust from his coat; continuing with his cross expression even when his mother chided him that it would freeze that way.

* * *

_A couple weeks later_

"Where are you going? Can I come with?" Mheetu questioned eagerly as he ran down the ramp of Pride Rock where his sister and Simba were whispering. Zazu perched on a low branch nearby. The blue hornbill had been charged with babysitting duty again, but he was obviously distracted by something else and paying the barest attention to the scheming cubs.

"Umm…well…" Simba stammered, looking at Nala uncomfortably.

"Only if you can keep up!" the female cub challenged her little brother. Nala stuck her tongue out at Mheetu, and then spun to race full speed onto the savannah. A shocked Simba and Mheetu sprang quickly after her.

"Young masters! Wait for me!" Zazu called from overhead, suddenly realizing his charges were gone and flapping desperately to catch up. For several strides Mheetu kept right on Simba's heels, but while Nala and the prince were evenly matched in speed Mheetus' short legs couldn't keep up. Breathing heavily, the yellow colored cub finally gave in and slowed to a stop; watching sadly as Simba's tail disappeared over the hill.

"S'not fair," Mheetu grumbled, sitting down heavily with a pout on his face.

"What's not fair?" an older lioness asked, appearing suddenly from the long grasses.

"They always leave me behind Miehka!" Mheetu sobbed, rushing over with tears brimming in his eyes. "Why can't I go with!" the small cub cried, sniffling a little.

"Because you cubs can't wander the savannah alone while you're so little, and it looks like Zazu already has his hands full with those two," the lioness explained patiently, then with a weary sigh added, "And please cut out the tears Mheetu, I know you don't get upset that easily. You just get mad." She looked down at the young male with a knowing glint in her eyes, and he dropped his gaze in embarrassment. Then, more sternly, Miehka continued,

"I'm not going to go and tattle to your mother so don't even try to make me feel sorry for you." Mheetu let out a small whimper, shrinking down to be as small as possible under her gaze. The lioness felt a small urge to smile at his reaction, pleased for guessing what was really going on in his mind. She was the main babysitter for the cubs in the pride and knew them almost as well as their own mothers. Out of all the cubs right now Mheetu was definitely the most hothead one—his small size couldn't keep up with his curious mind and it truly frustrated him. To top it off he was keenly jealous of the close friendship between his sister and the prince, constantly trying to tag along with them despite being shot down day after day.

"It still isn't fair," Mheetu grumbled, trying hard to keep a neutral tone.

"Welcome to the facts of life," the lioness chuckled, kindheartedly rubbing his head with a velveted paw. "Tell you what," Miehka said when Mheetu just sighed and looked sadly at the spot where the two cubs had disappeared. "I'll introduce you to someone special."

"Huh? Who?" The yellow cub asked eagerly, bouncing alongside her as Miehka led the way to the base of Pride Rock.

"Well I have this new friend," the older lioness explained, watching from the corner of her eye as Mheetu concentrated on navigating the rough terrain. "And he just came here and he's a little too shy to meet the rest of the Pride…"

"Does this mean I don't have to introduce him to Nala and Simba?" Mheetu interrupted, thinking eagerly of having a secret friend from the pair. "_Maybe it's a new cub who's even smaller than I am!"_ his heart leapt in excitement at the thought.

"Mheetu!" the tan lioness exclaimed, halting and glaring at him. The cub instantly cringed, knowing he'd said the wrong thing. "Look Mheetu," she said, letting out a calming breath. "I'm doing this as a favor to you…understand?" Quickly the young lion nodded, meeting her gaze with sincere blue-green eyes. "I'm not letting you meet Bhati just to let you get back at your sister, all right?"

"I'm sorry," Mheetu murmured, hanging his head in shame. He really did feel bad. Miehka was one of the few adults who didn't treat him different because he was so little, and he loved her for it. The little lion straightened up, holding his head up and meeting her gaze. "I'm sorry," he repeated, "Thank you for taking me to meet your friend."

"That's better," Miehka said with a smile, then motioned him forward with a head jerk. "Come on." The two lions had traveled around to the backside of Pride Rock when Miehka halted in front of a sandy tunnel. "Bhati! Wake up sleepy head, I've brought someone for you to meet!"

Mheetu took a step backward in surprise when the creature suddenly popped out of the hole, blinking in the light. The animal had a yellow-brown coat with his legs and face darkening into black. The fox like creature was a bit bigger than the lion cub, and his rounded ears were huge upon his head. "What are you?" Mheetu asked bluntly staring with wide eyes.

"Oh," Miehka groaned, rubbing her face with a paw. "So much for being polite," the lioness muttered with a sigh. "Bhati this is Mheetu. Mheetu, Bhati. He's a bat eared fox that moved here just a few days ago."

"How come I haven't seen you then?" the cub asked curiously, still eying the strange creature. "Mom hardly ever lets me leave Pride Rock…"

"I don't usually come out during the day," Bhati explained, sniffing the air with his delicate nose as he eyed Mheetu with an interest that matched the cubs own.

"I thought you might be lonely Bhati," Miehka explained, gauging that the fox hadn't been insulted by Mheetus' frank question. "And Mheetu doesn't have anyone to play with today so…" she left the sentence unfinished, knowing the other animal was too polite to turn down something so direct as a suggestion that he play with the yellow cub.

"Would you like to see my tunnels?" The bat eared fox asked politely, swiveling his head to look at the lion cub.

"Sure!" Mheetu answered eagerly. Bhatis' head disappeared back into the shadows and the small cub belly crawled in after him. Miehka smiled as the yellow pelt disappeared into the ground, and she heard excited voices rumble out. Then, resolutely, the lioness set off to find Sarafina. The shrewd babysitter may have told Mheetu that she didn't intend to tattle on Nala, but she still felt that Sarafina ought to know just how little time her daughter had been spending with the small brother who so desperately wanted her some of her time.

Mheetu coughed a little as dry earth coated his tongue, and suddenly felt the walls of the tunnel fall away. "Whoa!" the cub exclaimed as his eyes adjusted to the low light. The small cavern was riddled with other tunnels; some lit dimly as though they led to the surface, others even darker than the cave he was currently in. "Did you dig all these?" he asked in amazement, awed by the subtle curves and smoothed floor.

"Yep," Bhati answered proudly. "Of course I've only had a few days, it will be much better once I have time to actually work on it."

"You did this in just a few days?!" Mheetus' jaw was open in amazement as he poked his head down a few other tunnels, even discovering one that simply made a little u-turn and came straight back into the main cavern. "They're so cool!"

"Thank you," the bat eared fox blushed. "It's my first time making my own tunnels so I'm glad someone likes them."

"First time?" the cub asked in puzzlement, eyeing some neat designs the fox had scratched into the wall. "How old are you?"

"A whole year, I left my family about a month ago to find my own territory." Bhatis' tone was full of the pride of those newly initiated into adulthood and Mheetu felt even more in awe of his new friend.

"I don't think I could ever leave my family. I'd really miss my mom…but I wouldn't miss my sister at all!" the little lion growled, frowning a little in anger as he thought of Nala.

"Perhaps one day you will feel differently," the fox responded softly, sitting at one end of the cavern and eyeing the cub with a blank face. Mheetu looked sharply at the canine, wondering exactly which part of his speech the animal was talking about. He shrugged the thought away though, asking instead,

"Do you know how to stalk and pounce? I'd really like to practice with someone."

"You're only talking to the best grasshopper catcher under the sun!" the bat eared foxs' eyes sparkled eagerly in the dark.

"Bet you're not!" Mheetu challenged, grinning as he raced back up to the surface with Bhati panting enthusiastically on his heels.


	2. Pinned Ya!

**Chapter 2: Pinned Ya!-**

"Oh wow!" Nala exclaimed as she skidded to a halt at the tip of Pride Rock. The sun was about halfway over the horizon and the sky was just starting to turn the most beautiful blue color, speckled with wispy clouds. "It's going to be a good day!" the young lioness giggled in excitement, sitting down to take in the view. She loved to sneak out here before anyone else in the pride woke up, her eyes roving over the Pride Lands as she daydreamed about the great adventures the day might hold.

"A good day huh? Well why don't we make this good day even better?" The question made Nalas' eyes widen in eagerness as her mother walked up.

"How? What are we going to do?" she finally managed to get out, shifting from paw to paw in excitement. _Maybe mom will take me out hunting with her!_ The little lioness thought eagerly, aqua eyes shining in anticipation.

"Don't you want to finish enjoying the sunrise first?" Sarafina joked, causing Nala to groan,

"Mom!" The mother lioness laughed, playfully bumping the cream colored cub with her nose.

"I was thinking that you're old enough to go out and play on your own today," she said, her heart warming as a huge smile lit her daughters' face.

"Really!" Nala yelped, leaping to her paws. "Do you mean it?! I don't need to stay in sight of a babysitter?" The young lioness was so excited that she began skipping in circles around her mother.

"On a few conditions," Sarafina added sternly, reaching out with a paw and bringing the prancing lioness to a halt. "First you have to stay close to Pride Rock, no going to the waterhole or anything that far ok. There's too many big animals that might hurt you on accident."

"Fine," Nala agreed, thinking that it would be worth staying nearby so long as she didn't have someone staring over her shoulder.

"And," her mother hesitated for a moment before adding the second condition, "You have to stay with your brother."

"WHAT!?" Nala cried out, looking up at Sarafina in shocked disbelief. "You mean I can't go unless Mheetu comes with me? Mom!" As her daughter whined the mother lioness let her face slip into a stern frown. Finally the cub noticed the cool look on her moms face and the loud protests faded into silence. _She knows just how to trap me,_ Nala thought,_ she knows how much I want to explore without one of the old lionesses breathing down my neck…even enough to play with Mheetu…_

"I heard how you deserted him yesterday Nala," Sarafina kept her voice steady as she reprimanded her oldest child. "And this isn't the first time. I'm not saying you need to spend every waking moment with your brother but you do need to spend some time with Mheetu." The young lioness scowled at that, scratching at the ground with a paw. "Nala," her mother warned sternly.

"But Mheetu just gets in the way mom!" The little lioness protested, fighting to get the upper hand. "He can't keep up, and he always whines like a little baby!"

"Well then you'll just have to play something that doesn't involve racing from place to place. You whine when you get tired too," Sarafina looked down with a knowing eye. "And it isn't Mheetu's fault that he's smaller than you," her mother replied firmly. Nala opened her mouth to protest again but Sarafina cut her off, "You and Mheetu are going to spend the morning together Nala and that's final. I'm letting it be your choice whether it's just the two of you, or if you want a babysitter on your tail all day."

"Fine…" Nala finally consented with an annoyed sigh. _At least I don't have to stay in sight of some lazy old lioness all day_, she told herself, and the thought cheered her up a little.

"Hey Nala! Nala!" Simba called out to her, bounding down from the ramp that led to the very top of Pride Rock, a huge smile on his face.

"I've got to go out with the hunting party now," Sarafina said, giving her daughter one last nuzzle. "Promise you'll follow our deal?"

"Promise," she answered, groaning mentally as she watched Simba approach. _He's probably got some awesome idea on a new game and I have to play with Mheetu!_ Nala scowled at the thought but suddenly an impish thought crossed her mind, _Mom didn't say that it had to be JUST me and Mheetu…_Slightly happier the cub raised her head to greet Simba as he trotted up, "What's so exciting?"

"Guess what!" the gold cub bubbled out excitedly, so happy that even an irritated Nala couldn't help but feel energized to. The prince quickly continued before his friend could even hazard a guess, "My dad's going to show me the kingdom today! Him and me are going to travel all over the land! It's going to be great!"

"Oh wow!" Nala replied, disappointment flooding her as she realized that her best friend wasn't going to stick around to help her watch her younger brother. The little lioness also felt a pang of jealousy that Simba was going to see so much of the Pride Lands. _But it's with his dad,_ she reminded herself firmly, _I get to go somewhere without an adult at all._ Her jealously curbed a little Nala congratulated Simba, even yelling a friendly goodbye as he bounced off after his father Mufasa.

"All right," the little lioness muttered, "Guess I better wake up Mheetu or we'll miss the whole day!" Quickly she trotted toward the cave where the pride slept, eager to be out and playing on the savannah—even if she had to drag her little brother along.

* * *

"Hey cool! Nala look at this beetle! It's green!" Mheetus' gleeful tone was slightly muffled by the long savannah grass. All Nala could see was the brown tip of his tail and the quivering of grass blades as he brushed against him. The lioness sighed in exasperation as she trudged over to where her brother was exploring.

"Mheetu, I really don't care about any smelly old bug," she grumbled, pushing past a particularly thick clump of grass. "Let's go find something bigger to watch…like a hippo!"

"All the hippos are by the river," Mheetu answered matter of factually, somewhere in the tall grass in front of her. "And mom said we can't go that far." Nala grimaced as she realized the yellow cub was right.

"Mheetu were are you?" she called out again, unable to see his tail anymore.

"Over here!" his young voice now came from her left.

"I still don't see what you think is so great about bugs," Nala continued to mutter, as she headed toward his voice and the shorter grass growing around a Jackalberry tree. Grunting she pushed through the last bit of long grass, stepping onto the shorter variety surrounding the tree. Still mumbling she added, "Especially when there's so many other interesting animals out here."

"But bugs _are_ interesting!" Mheetu replied, peaking his head around the wrinkled trunk.

"Not as interesting as watching mom and the others hunt down a zebra," Nala said, padding over into the shade to join the smaller cub.

"Wanna bet?" Mheetu grinned impishly as she approached. "Come look at this!" The yellow cub bounced over the exposed roots of the tree, disappearing around the backside of the trunk. Curious Nala followed after him, crouching down beside her brother as he lay down across one of the larger roots. Only a few inches from their face was the beginning of a new termite mound, built along the periphery of the Jackalberry trees roots. The mound of soil, hardened like cement and only a foot or two high, was just beginning to show the distinctive towers that would one day stretch high above their heads and created a peaked shadow all their own. Legions of the building insects swarmed around the structure, either aiding in the building or cultivating the fungus that grew only in their mound.

"Great," Nala said, rolling her eyes. "I _love_ watching bugs run in circles."

"Just wait a second," Mheetu spoke calmly, apparently unperturbed by his sisters continued complaining. "That beetle I was following is going to stumble into their territory in just a second."

"So?" Nala asked, perplexed. Mheetu merely grinned,

"You think watching lionesses take down a zebra is cool? Wait 'till you see this." Willing to give him a chance and having nothing better to do Nala turned back to the scuttling insects. Beside her Mheetu began whispering in a low tone, just loud enough to be heard without taking her attention away from the scene before her.

"The unsuspecting prey wanders into the midst of its ferocious predator. Naive, unaware, it continues to search for food." Nala didn't even notice as she began to mentally lose herself in the sight before her, Mheetus' voice narrating the actions of the glossy green beetle and the scurrying termites. "Suddenly they spot it! The alarm sounds and the soldiers rush forward to attack. Too late their prey senses its danger, running in fear as the ferocious predators circle in around it. Aggressively they attack, snapping at its fragile legs, fighting to knock their prey to the ground. But it's too big! More than three times their size the prey fights back, knocking the smaller predators out of its way in a desperate attempt to escape. Suddenly one scrambles onto its back, fighting for purchase on the slick surface. A bone-chilling wave of fear floods the threatened beast as it senses its own doom. In a moment of acceptance it slows, head lowered to the ground and exposing the vulnerable neck. Better a quick and painless death than one drawn out by ineffective bites. The victorious predator consents to its wish and in one bite the enormous prey is felled."

For several seconds Nala continued to watch as the termites tore at the body of the beetle, its once glossy shell now marred by scratches and dents from the defenders sharp pincers. The thrill that filled her when she watched her mother and the other lionesses hunt now coursed through her veins, causing her to breath hard in excitement.

"Told you this was just as good," Mheetu murmured, a grin on his face as he continued to watch the termites go about their work. Nala shook her head, shocked that she had gotten so caught up in a fight between…bugs. But Mheetus' narration had thrown her right into the center of the epic battle—no matter that it had occurred between creatures smaller than her own paw.

"Yeah, it was ok," Nala answered quickly, trying to cover up how spellbound she had been. Mheetu giggled a little bit as he saw her face and his sister sensed that she hadn't quite managed to deceive him. "You told a good story," she told him, still trying to hide the truth.

"Thanks," Mheetu replied, flushing a little under his fur at the praise.

"But don't start thinking you're such hot stuff _little_ bro!" She cajoled, stressing the word little as she ruffled the hair on his head.

"You're living in the past sis!" Mheetu growled playfully. "I could even pin you know, so you'd better watch out!"

"Oh come on," Nala scoffed, looking down her nose at the smaller cub. "You? Pin me? I don't think so…" Without a second thought the young male leaped at his sister, his small weight catching her unbalanced and knocking her to the ground. With practiced ease the young lioness slithered out from between his legs, her face full of surprise. "Just try it!" she challenged him, squealing in delight as Mheetu pounced again.

Brother and sister circled around, occasionally leaping forward or dodging attacks. Mheetu growled as Nala used her heavier weight to bear him down to the ground, but with quick reflexes the young male head butted one of her legs; making it bend at the knee and leaving him free to move. Before Nala could recover her balance Mheetu heaved up with his shoulders, rolling the cream colored lioness over onto her back. Quickly the smaller cub spun around and jumped straight up, landing square on his sisters' stomach and knocking the breath from her. Nala grunted, looking up at him in surprise as the yellow lion settled himself down into a sitting position.

"Pinned Ya!" he crowed victoriously, his face filled by a toothy smile. His sister looked at him for a moment, still completely stunned that he had managed to pin her. Then suddenly she burst out laughing, looking up at him appreciatively.

"Ok! Ok! You win!" she panted in between bouts of laughter, Mheetu still perched on top of her with that smug grin on his face. "Now get off!" Nala commanded good-naturedly, "You're not _that_ little!"

"I got you! I got you!" the other lion chanted as he hopped back to the ground, unable to control his excitement.

"All right, I'll give you that," his sister grumbled amiably, "Where did you learn the head butting trick?"

"Bhati taught me. He's the fox that lives behind Pride Rock. He's got such huge ears, and you should see his tunnels Nala, they're so cool!"

"Where? Can you show me? I'd like to learn a few new tricks to pull on Simba!"

"Come on, I'll show you!" Mheetu hollered as he bounded away, still grinning madly about finally having beaten his sister at something.

* * *

_A/N- All right guys, hope you liked this chapter. Please review and don't forget to take a look at the picture that inspired me to write this story- (just removes spaces for link) ht t p: / /d uk aci a.dev iant art .com /art/Pinned-ya-73180686 Note this is **not** my picture but the artist has very kindly given me permission to link it._


	3. Tag along alone

**Chapter 3: Tag Along Alone**

"I just don't understand how you cubs can get so filthy!" Sarafina scolded good-naturedly.

"It's dusty in Bhatis' tunnels," Mheetu explained, squirming within the confines of her front legs. It was couple days after he and his sister had first been allowed out on their own. Since then Simba had continued to go out each morning with his father, and Nala had resigned herself to the fact that if she wanted a playmate Mheetu was one of the very few options. There were a couple other cubs her age in the pride, one of them, Etari, was actually sleeping just a few feet away. There was even another young female name Kula in the pride, but Nala still liked spending time with Simba the most. None of the other cubs quite had his spirit of adventure that matched hers so well. Nala watched with a bored expression as her mother roughly licked the dust from Mheetus' yellow coat, cringing a little as she remembered that it was her turn for such rough treatment next.

"Visiting Bhati eh? How is the little guy?" Miehka asked, raising her head to address the young cub.

"Good," Mheetu answered quickly, his ultramarine eyes shining with relief as Sarafina released him. With a mental sigh Nala stepped forward for her turn, knowing it wasn't worth fighting. "Thanks again for taking me to meet him Miehka!" her brother continued with sincere enthusiasm.

"Any time little cub," the grandmotherly lion laughed, rolling back onto her side to continue her nap.

"How come you never tell _me_ fun things like that gramma?" Etari piped up as he clambered onto her shoulder, his tan fur blending in with her own.

"You never asked," she responded, beginning to tickle the little lion until he could hardly breath. Mheetu laughed along with Miehka as Etari struggled to escape, he enjoyed spending time with the tan cub. Etari was the youngest of the pride and he shared Mheetus' fascination of the little details in the world; like how the hordes of leaf cutter ants traveled so much distance in a perfect line. But even he had passed Mheetu up in size and it annoyed the yellow cub that no matter how much he ate he couldn't keep up with his peers.

Thinking about the problem the young lion settled himself on the sunny side of his mother, stretching out for an afternoon nap. Sarafina constantly reassured him that one day he would grow, but Mheetu couldn't help but think that day couldn't come soon enough—specifically when one of the other cubs would start a wrestling match. Suddenly he heard light paw steps approaching, and Simbas voice rang in the air,

"Hey Nala!"

"Hi Simba," his sister answered back, smiling at her best friend. Mheetu felt too lazy under the warm sun to move and say hi to the prince, but he was close enough to hear Simba as he whispered to Nala,

"Come on I just heard about this great place!"

"Simba I'm kinda in the middle of a bath," Nala grumbled back, lifting up her chin so her mother could clean her neck.

"And it's time for yours!" Mheetu bit back a laugh as Sarabi seized Simba before he could run away, lifting the prince up to the rock she was laying on and running her tongue over him a few times.

"Mom!" Simba yelped out, caught by surprise, "Mom you're messing up my mane!" With a satisfied grin the queen let the gold cub go and he immediately began straightening his 'mane'. "Ok, ok, I'm clean can we go now?"

"So where are we going? It better not be any place dumb," Nala warned him in a teenagerish tone.

"No, it's really cool!" he reassured her quickly.

"So where is this really cool place?" Sarabi purred out, looking down at her son with a perceptive gaze.

"Oh, by the water hole…" the prince replied, trying to sound truthful.

"The water hole!" Nala broke in, looking at her daring friend in astonishment, "What's so great about the water hole?"

"I'll show you when we get there!" Mheetu heard Simba hiss in reply.

"Oh!" Nala murmured, catching on that there was more than he was telling their mothers. "Uh Mom, can I go with Simba?"

"Mmm, what do you think Sarabi?"

"Well…" the queen hummed, still watching her son for signs of mischief.

"Please!" both cubs pleaded, flashing her big, innocent smiles.

"It's all right with me!" Sarabi finally said, and Mheetu suddenly perked up.

"Mom, can I go too?" he asked, pawing at her front leg to get her attention as Simba and Nala celebrated, jumping in excitement.

"Why not," Sarafina nodded as she met her sons' gaze.

"As long as Zazu goes with you," Sarabi called after the other two cubs, making them skid to a halt.

"No, not Zazu!" Simba groaned out.

"I'll have him meet you at the base of the ramp, you guys wait for him there or there'll be trouble, understand?" Sarabi told them sternly as she got up to go in search of Zazu.

"Yes mom," Simba mumbled, shuffling to the appointed meeting spot, Nala following on his heels.

"Bye mom!" Mheetu said as he scrambled over her paws to follow.

"Have fun Mheetu," Fina replied as she watched the cubs disappear. _Good,_ the lioness thought. _Now I can actually get some sleep!_

* * *

"Great, now we need to figure out how to get rid of Zazu," Simba muttered, checking the skies in suspicion to make sure the major domo wasn't flying over them right now.

"Yeah, when are you going to tell me where we're really going?" Nala inquired, her voice full of curiosity.

"Hang on, I gotta come up with a plan first," Simba replied, already half distracted with scheming.

_Uh oh_, thought Mheetu as Nala caught sight of him approaching, her face hardening as he stepped closer.

"What are you doing Mheetu?" She asked, then gave a little startled gasp as she realized the answer. "You can't come with!" she spat out, shooting him a cold look that dared him to contradict her.

"Momma said I could!" he growled back, trying to match her stare with one of his own.

"Come on!" Nala groaned in exasperation, "I spent all morning with you Mheetu!"

"So!" her little brother retorted. She growled at him, muscles bunched as though she were ready to spring at him. Mheetu felt his face grow hot as he looked at her, anger building up until suddenly he burst out, "I knew it!" The yellow cub yelled at his sister, so mad that he was shaking with the restraint of not slashing out at her. "You were only being nice to me 'cause mom told you too!"

"Wha?!" Nala stuttered out, completely taken aback by his extreme reaction. Her mouth was hanging open and she had jerked back her head in astonishment at his outburst.

"I heard her talking to you this morning!" Mheetu growled out, nashing his teeth together in rage. "She said you were in trouble for ditching me and had to hang out with me all day." He was breathing hard while Simba and Nala just stared at him in shock, never having seen the smaller cub blow up like this. "You thought I was sleeping but I heard the whole thing!" Mheetu continued his tirade, fighting hard to keep back angry tears. "But after this morning I thought maybe you were starting to like me. That you realized I could keep up and play with you," Mheetu paused and took a choking breath before adding more quietly, "that maybe I was just as fun as Simba."

"Mheetu," Nala started to say but her little brother cut her off.

"Shut up!" he hollered, "I don't want to go with you two anyways!" With that the yellow cub took off, tearing away from the prince and his sister with eyes blinded by hot tears.

"Mheetu come back!" Nala cried, taking a single step after him then hanging her head in shame. "Oh man," the young lioness sighed, "I didn't mean to…I never…aaargg…"

"Let him cool off a bit," Simba said, giving her a compassionate nudge with his nose, "You know how stubborn Mheetu is."

"Yeah you're right," Nala replied, heaving a sad sigh as she looked where her little brother had disappeared. "But I still feel bad…"

"Well where we're going will cheer you up!" Simba said animatedly.

"Exactly where…" Nala began to say just as Zazu swooped earthward to meet them.

"Well let's get going young masters," the blue hornbill called, already banking and heading in the direction of the waterhole.

"Come on," Simba urged his playmate, "I've got a plan on how to ditch the Zazu." The blue hornbill flapping overhead the two cubs padded towards the water hole, Nala glancing back over her shoulder only once. Zazu was babbling something from up above in the blue sky but she wasn't paying attention, wondering instead where Mheetu had gone. With a snort of irritation the little lioness shook her head, deciding that she was going to have fun despite her younger brothers' tantrum.

"So how we gonna ditch the domo?" she whispered to Simba in great expectation.

* * *

"And that's how I outwitted the Leopard," Bhati finished telling his tale, his pointed nose raised slightly in the air and cocked to one side with pride.

"Wow! That was pretty smart," Soma, one of the cubs in the pride murmured in awe. He and the bat eared fox were relaxing in the shade behind Pride Rock, hiding from intense heat of the mid-day sun. "I never would have thought of doing that," the lion cub added respectfully, slumping down to lay on his side against the cool stone. Dreamily his bronze eyes roamed across the savannah, dreaming of what it would be like to have his own adventures like those Bhati had had.

Soma sighed, reminding himself that it would never happened—not to him. The young cub was the color of clay, an attractive mixture of brown and red with a few black hairs just starting to show on the top of his head. His keen ears picked up the rustle of a single blade of grass as a grasshopper launched itself into the air and landed a few inches from his nose. Instinctively Soma extended a paw to grab it, but the insect hopped a few more inches and was out of reach. Immediately Bhati pounced forward and nabbed the bug in the middle of its next jump, and Soma felt a quick tinge of pity that he instantly squashed.

The young lion had been born with a clubbed hind foot, the games of running and pouncing that the other cubs took for granted were only possible in the imagination for him. As the elusive grasshopper had just proven Soma simply couldn't make his body move when he wanted it too. The thought that he would never be able to hunt prey on his own or even properly defend the pride frightened and infuriated the youngster more than he let on to his mother or any of the other lionesses. Instead he struggled to find another way to make himself useful; he had come to talk to Bhati to learn more about the land beyond Pride Rock and maybe learn if there was any place for a lame lion out there.

"Bhati! Bhati, she did it again!" Mheetus' voice cracked as he pounded full speed around the corner and crashed into Soma. With a frightened yelp both cubs rolled over the ground, raising up a cloud of dust from the dirt framing the bat-eared foxs' tunnels.

"Mheetu!" Soma coughed, pushing the smaller cub off his shoulder and rolling awkwardly to his feet. "Where's the fire?" the red-orange cub joked, getting over his surprise of being tackled.

"Nala deserted me again!" howled the yellow lion, his agitation causing Soma and Bhati to look at each other in shock.

"Well you can hang out with us instead," the fox offered, looking at Soma for reassurance and seeing the red-orange cub nod in response.

"But that's not the point!" Mheetu wailed, wiping his running nose with a small paw. The little lion had thought his new friend would immediately understand the issue. "Why won't they ever let me play?" he cried in anguish, fresh tears brimming in his eyes.

"Maybe because you **always** try to tag along?" Soma stated matter of factually, hobbling over and reaching out to give the smaller cub a friendly hug. "We all like you a lot Mheetu but you sure ask for a lot of attention."

"So you guys are on their side?!" the smaller lion shouted back, feeling his anger rise again.

"No, that's not what I meant!" Soma began to explain but Mheetu pushed him roughly away and sprang to his paws, tail lashing around his yellow hindquarters.

"Fine!" he spat, taking quick shallow breaths that rasped noisily in his throat as he struggled to speak. "Fine!" he repeated after a moment, eyeing the two animals with a fierce and angry gaze. "I'll just go out by myself! I can't be a tag along if I'm all alone!" Heart sinking from this second betrayal Mheetu again ran away from those he thought were his friends. The yellow cub was so angry that he didn't hear Bhati and Soma calling after him, he just kept running over the dried grass of the savannah. "I'll be better on my own!" Mheetu promised himself aloud, blinking hard to push the last vestige of tears from his eyes. "I don't need anyone!"

* * *

_A/N- Sorry this one took so long guys, I promise the next updates will be faster, please leave a review!_


	4. Young Explorer

**Chapter 4: Young Explorer**

Feathers rustled as a pair of secretary birds rose, squawking into the air. The orange patch around their eyes shone brightly in the sun as they flapped away, still shrieking in agitation about the lion cub who had disturbed them. Mheetu ignored them as he continued to stomp across the savannah, fuming about the attitudes of all his so-called friends. As the grey birds spiraled upwards the yellow cub became a small dot that soon disappeared in the vastness of the savannah plains.

"I don't need anyone else, I can play all by myself," Mheetu muttered, pushing his way into a patch of taller grass. But the yellows cubs anger was cooling down as he ranged further from Pride Rock, finding new places he had never visited. "Hey what's this?" the young cub wondered aloud as the grass suddenly opened up before him. "Cool! A tunnel!" he squealed happily and army crawled into the runway. His delicate nose picked up a familiar scent and the image of a chubby, sandy colored rodent sprang to mind. "Rock Hyrax," the cub murmured as he identified it, realizing these trails running through the long grass were the paths the little mammals took traveling from burrow to burrow. "Is this what ants feel like?" he asked suddenly inspired with imagination so that his sparkling in excitement.

"The mighty guard ant has been sent out on a dangerous spy mission. Without the vital information he has been sent to retrieve the colonies attack will fail, and the invading forces will conquer the kingdom!" Happily content the small cub wandered the paths for hours, playing the heroic ant warrior battling his way through enemy tunnels. His game brought Mheetu to the edge of the great plain, the open expanse of shortly cropped grass where the herds of the Pride Lands normally roamed. The lack of cover made hunting difficult for the lionesses but the young cub wasn't interested in food as he trotted among the large herd beasts in search of water.

Lapping thirstily Mheetu didn't notice the elephant calf until it's shadow fell over him. "What are you?" the baby squeaked, startling him momentarily as it tentatively extended its trunk toward him.

"I'm a lion cub," Mheetu answered, gently tapping the elephants nose with a velveted paw and laughing as young animal snatched it back in fright. "Haven't you ever seen a lion before?" The baby elephant shook his head, making his big ears slap against the side of his head.

"Biko!" Mheetu heard a female voice calling, "Biko where did you go?"

"Here momma!" the little elephant chimed back, adding a little high-pitched trumpet at the end to make sure she heard.

"There you are," the mother elephant spoke soothingly as she ambled up, stroking his head with her trunk. "Come on now, it's getting late. Time to go home." Suddenly she caught sight of Mheetu, and lowered her head down to him. "And are you out here alone little one? Better get back before your mother worries."

"Yes mam," the lion cub responded, and suddenly realized how close to the horizon the sun was. "Uh oh, mom is going to be worried," he said, setting off in a trot, then slowing to a stop almost immediately. "Wait…" the cub told himself, stretching up as tall as he could to see. "Where did Pride Rock go?"

It took balancing solely on his hind legs for a minute but Mheetu finally spotted his home—really, really really far away on the horizon. "Man!" he grumbled to himself, setting off at a run, "I went a lot further than I thought! Mom's going to be so mad!"

* * *

"Mrs. Sarafina I have your daughter," Zazu announced as he fluttered his wings a final time before landing on one of his favorite perches near the cave entrance.

"Nala!" the lionesses exclaimed as she rushed outside, catching her daughter in a hug. "I was so worried when Zazu came back screaming about how you cubs were in the elephant graveyard! What were you thinking?"

"Momma…" the little lioness started to explain but Sarafina cut her off,

"Wait! Where's Mheetu?!" She shot a fretful glance at Zazu who could only sputter, still slightly disoriented from the shock of being put in the birdie boiler. "Oh my…" Sarafina began to gasp in agiation

"He wasn't with us," Nala said quickly before her mother experienced a total meltdown.

"Thank the kings," Fina breathed in relief, but concern returned swiftly to her face. "But where is he then?" She looked down at her daughter with a stern expression, "He was supposed to be going with you….Nala?"

"Well…umm…you see…" Nala cringed under her mothers' fierce gaze, trying desperately to smile but not succeeding as Sarafinas' gaze grew more and more stern.

By the time King Mufasa returned with Simba, Sarafina had finally finished telling Nala off; first for going into the graveyard when it was obviously such a dangerous place, and secondly for ditching her brother. The little lioness had been sentenced to threes days of grounding where she was not allowed to venture past the sunning rocks at the base of Pride Rocks. Darkness had fallen when Nala heard the distinct, heavy paw steps of the king and felt her mother rise and pad over to meet him.

Indistinct whispers reached her ears, and the cub winced. Even though she couldn't make out exactly what they said, Nala knew it was about her little brother. Mheetu still hadn't returned and she knew that it was all her fault. If she hadn't yelled at him he would be home safe right now with the rest of them. Instead he was out alone somewhere on the savannah.

"Hey Nala," Simba whispered, tip toeing over from where their parents spoke in quiet but urgent tones. "Did you get in big trouble?" he asked quietly, amber eyes glinting slightly in the night. Nala looked up him, all set to tell him about Mheetu when Simba added excitedly, "My dad really didn't yell at all!" Nala felt a hot stab in her gut, and a rush of anger as his words.

"Go away," she growled softly, rolling over and turning her back to him.

"Huh?" the other cub murmured, puzzled. After Nala pointedly continued to ignore him though the prince padded away, his light steps barely audible amid the heavy breathing of the pride. Nala lay silently, staring out at the faint stars, unable to sleep. Finally her mother returned, lying down with a quiet sigh.

"Momma?" Nala whispered the question, raising her head to look up at the tan lioness.

"Mufasa hasn't seen him either," her mother murmured back, leaning over and giving her daughter a comforting lick. "But he's going to organize a search party in the morning first thing. So get some sleep." Nala gave a small nod, laying her head on her paws and pretending to obey. But the little lioness lay awake for a long while, watching the moonlight slowly traverse the cave floor. Pressed tight against her mothers' side the rise and fall of her ribcage told the cub that she wasn't asleep either. Mother and daughter kept a silent vigil through the entire night.

_I'm sorry Mheetu,_ Nala thought over and over again, _Please be ok._

* * *

"How much further," Mheetu groaned, too exhausted to care or notice if he was talking aloud or only in his mind. The yellow cub had long ago slowed to a walking pace, his young muscles to worn out to trot all the way back to Pride Rock. His shadow stretched out far to one side, gaining height as the sun rapidly set on the horizon. "Gotta keep going," he told himself tiredly, concentrating on putting one paw in front of the other. "Gotta get back so momma doesn't worry." Focusing on this resolve Mheetu kept pushing himself forward, hindered by the half cropped grass of the plains that brushed as his belly and tangled his paws.

Trudging along the lion cubs' thoughts drifted back to the events of the afternoon, but he was too exhausted to let them stir the embers of anger that had burned to fiercely earlier. _Maybe Soma's right,_ he thought, _about me asking for a lot of attention._ He had never really thought about it before, or he had merely been convinced that he rightly deserved all the attention he got. _I was always the littlest cub,_ Mheetu reminisced mentally, _All the lionesses think I'm so cute and they're willing to do pretty much whatever I want, not so much for the other cubs though._

As he continued to trek across the savannah the young lion remembered a time the cubs had wanted to go to one of the bigger watering holes so that they could swim. Nala, Simba and the others had already begged their mothers to go and been denied. But as soon as he had asked, saying that it was hard for his short legs to handle the large rocks bordering the normal watering hole one of the lionesses had relented and taken the whole troop.

_Same as Simba gets away with some things because he's prince,_ Mheetu reasoned, _I get away with a lot because I'm so small. I guess maybe I thought the other cubs owed me something to. Maybe…maybe I shouldn't be making them change their games for me,_ He thought, memory flashing back to a scene where the others were having a jumping contest and he had whined until they gave up and played hide and seek instead. _Maybe I should just do what I can instead._ The yellow cub felt a twinge of guilt as he recalled even more times when he had manipulated someone by using his small size as a lever.

"Guess Soma really was right," he breathed aloud, opening his eyes and realizing with a shock that he had quit moving and was standing still. _I'm too tired to make it home, _he thought, feeling devastated. True night had fallen while he had been walking, the newly risen moon only a sliver in the sky that cast almost no light. "No!" Mheetu growled, shaking his head roughly, "I'm not going to use being little as an excuse!"

_One day,_ he thought,_ I won't be so little any more. Then no one will treat me special unless I actually __**DO**__ something. I might as well practice now._ Full of determination he stepped out again, completely set to keep on going until he reached home—that's when the young lion finally looked ahead and saw just how far away Pride Rock still was. His heart plummeted and the yellow cub let out an involuntary groan. The giant structure was only a dark, indistinct shape on the horizon. He never would have known it was Pride Rock except for the fact that there was nothing even close to its height in that direction.

_Pride will only get me so far,_ he thought with a sigh of acceptance. Mheetu spotted a rock pile nearby and dragged his tired body over to it. Wearily he nosed around the feature and finally found a crevice big enough for him to crawl inside. The exhausted lion curled up, his muscles so worn out that they felt like jelly, and immediately fell asleep.


	5. The Stampede

**Chapter 5: The Stampede**

"Don't worry Sara, we'll find him," the deep, confident voice pulled Nala out of sleep and she blinked several times to try to clear her gummy eyes.

"Thank you for all the help Muffy," the young lioness heard her mother sigh and pinpointing the voice saw the two adults rub shoulders companionably before Mufasa loped easily out of the cavern.

_What are they talking about?_ Nala wondered, letting loose a big yawn as she continued to wake up. Feeling lazy the little lioness sunk back onto her side, determined to catch five more minutes of sleep when she noticed that her usual pillow was missing. "Huh?" she started quietly, glancing around. "Mheetu…" her voice trailed off as memories of yesterday came back in a rush. "Oh…that's right," Nala murmured to herself, a flood of guilt coursing through her, "he's not here."

"You awake love?" her mother asked as she came over and nosed the young cub gently.

"Yes," Nala replied quietly, craning her neck to look up as Sarafina. "Do I have to start my punishment today mom? Can't I come help you find Mheetu?" The tone was so earnest and heartfelt that the lioness hesitated for a moment, touched by the wholesome emotion. Finally though, she shook her head.

"No," came the firm response. "What you did yesterday was far beyond normal disobedience," Nala cringed away from the disappointed tone, staring at her paws in shame. "Your punishment begins today, and I'm going to find someone to make sure you are held to it while I look for your brother." The cream colored cub nodded her understanding and Sarafina padded away, looking for one of the older lionesses.

"Hey Nala!" Simba's happy voice clashed on her ears, and the girl cub growled in irritation. "Mom said I should to stay near Pride Rock today," the prince continued, apparently oblivious to the annoyed look on his friends face, "But I figured there's still lots of fun stuff we can do around here…."

"Who said I want to play with you?" Nala snapped and cut him off, causing Simba to take a half-step back in surprise.

"Wha…what?" the lion prince stuttered, eyes open big.

"You heard me!" Nala told him loudly, now on her feet and nose to nose with him. "Go find someone else to play with!" With a breathy hmph the female cub stomped away from her dumbstruck friend, a whirlwind of emotions breezing through her veins.

_Why am I so angry at Simba?_ She thought feeling a slight bit of remorse as she looked for her mother, _It's my fault that Mheetu's missing not his…_

Nala paused and let out a sigh. "I should apologize," she told herself, mentally prepping as she turned back to face her friend. Saying sorry wasn't something that came easily to her but Simba and she had fought often enough that she knew when it was important to do it anyway. "Simba I," the young lioness began, then halted in surprise when she saw that he was already gone. "Huh? I wonder where he went…"

* * *

The increasingly noisier bleats and moos of the wildebeest herd as they grazed closer and closer slowly pulled Mheetu from sleep. The yellow cub smacked his lips together as his eyes began to focus on his surroundings. "Whoa!" he yelped, sitting bolt upright in fright and cracking his head on the rock above his head. _I'm buried alive! _Mheetu screamed inside his head, aqua eyes seeing nothing but brown stone pressed in around him. _I'm gonna die!_ he moaned mentally, pushing hard with his front legs to get as far away from the close set walls. Suddenly, with a yelp of surprise, his hind legs slipped and the cub tumbled backwards from his cave.

"Huh?" Mheetu blinked both in surprise and from the brightness of the sun as he lay on his back and looked around. "Oh yeah," the yellow lion muttered to himself as he rolled to his feet, "I forgot…" Curiously the cub took in his surroundings. The little alcove he had sheltered in for the night was part of a much bigger rock structure. One large column supported another pillar of stone in an A framed shaped that reminded him of the front of Pride Rock. The hunting plains surrounded the structure, the grass cropped short by the many herbivores that grazed upon it.

_Well take that!_ The yellow cub thought proudly, swishing his tail as he stared happily up at the sky, _I made it all night, by myself! No one can call me just a tag-along anymore; from now on they'll all be following me!_ Full of confidence Mheetu raised his muzzle high, enjoying the feeling of pride coursing through his veins at his new found maturity. Then curiosity overcame the young cub, and eagerly he trotted forward a few steps, scrambling up on a small boulder to get a better view.

"So this is what the plains look like," Mheetu observed, gazing at the grassy landscape and the slowly approaching herd of grazing wildebeest.

"Keep it down!" hissed a female voice, followed by a thud of flesh on flesh and a yowl. Startled Mheetu lost his balance and slid off his boulder perch with an "oof".

"Oww! Whadid you do that for?" a male voice complained while someone else giggled in the background.

"We don't want them to know we're here or they'll scatter!" the female voice hissed again. Mheetu slunk toward the source of the voices, tuning all his senses to try and decide what kind of animal was talking. "Good," the voice continued, "Looks like they missed you two bozo carnivores stomping around. Now keep it down while they get close!" Cautiously Mheetu peeked over the stone shelf, just enough for his bright little eyes to see three hyenas sitting there. Terrified he just managed to bite back a yelp as he ducked and hugged the ground.

_Hyenas!_ The little lion gulped silently, shivering in fear. Like all the other cubs in the pride he had been taught that hyenas wouldn't think twice about attacking a cub—especially one as small as himself. _Now what am I going to do?!_

* * *

"Honestly sire, we could search the entire plains and not find him, this is hopeless!" Mufasa rolled his eyes as Zazu flapped overhead, stressed from their search for the missing cub.

"We still have to try," the king reminded his advisor gently, hiding a small sigh of displeasure. He was exhausted, yesterday chasing after Simba and Nala in the graveyard, and now searching for Mheetu—would he ever get a break? "Let's go and ask the giraffes if they've seen anything."

* * *

The sun had almost reached its zenith and Mheetu was still sitting miserably in his little alcove again, hiding from the trio of hyenas. Quietly he tried to stretch a little, muscle aching from laying on the cold rock for so long. _Why don't they just leave! _He moaned mentally, once again running his mind through possible escape scenarios. When he had first appeared the hyenas had all been facing away from his little alcove, but now the occasional sound of their bickering told him that they were keeping a watch on all directions. Plus the cropped grass was too short to hide in, and Mheetu wasn't sure how the wildebeest herd that had surrounded the rock would react to his presence—he didn't want to get trampled. The noise of a growling stomach from above made the cub wince as he remembered that he hadn't eaten since the afternoon before and was starving too.

"Shut up!" the female hyena growled angrily.

"I can't help it! I'm so hungry…" one of the males replied and Mheetu heard a clatter of pebbles rolling around on the stone shelf. "I gotta have a wildebeest!" the hyena yelped.

"Stay put!" the female ordered strongly. A thump reached Mheetus ears and he wished that he could see what was going on.

"Can't I just pick off one of the little sick ones?" the male asked tentatively.

"No! We wait for the signal from Scar," came the reply from the female, causing Mheetus' ears to perk up.

_Scar?_ he though, _Did I hear right? Why are they talking about the king's brother?_

"There he is!" the female exclaimed, then dropping her tone lower and adding an foreboding note, "Let's go!"

Mheetu squeezed himself deep into the crevice as he heard the hyenas leap down and landed on the cropped grass. The yellow lion waited with wide eyes, fearful that they would come around and spot him. Luckily the trio was busy, snapping at the heels of the herd animals and making them flee in fear. Mheetu's mouth dropped open as the front most wildebeest simply dropped out of sight. For a moment the young lion was frozen in fear.

"The gorge," he whispered, unconsciously taking a step forward and out of the cave; his eyes wide and mouth parted in an O of surprise. _I almost walked right into it last night_, he thought. The young male stood still for nearly a minute, fretfully playing in his mind scenarios of tumbling off the cliff edge in the dark with an endless drop to the bottom.

* * *

"Look Zazu we'll just swing around to the border and then…"

"Mufasa, quick! Come quickly!" Scar interrupted as he raced over at full speed, panting hard with his green eyes open in panic. "Stampede! In the gorge! Simba's down there!"

"Simba!" Mufasa replied in disbelief before he tore off after his brother in terrified urgency.

* * *

A grunt and the stab of hooves into the grassy earth near him jerked Mheetu back to the present, just in time to see the last remnants of the herd pound over the edge.

"Is that all of them?" he heard the distant voice of the male hyena echo across the canyon top.

"I think so," the female responded. Mheetu watched as she began to scan the plain over her shoulder.

_She looks tough,_ the little cub thought admiration. Then he had just a split second to think, _Looks? Wait, if I can see her then…._

"HEY!" the hyena suddenly yelped. "There's a lion cub! Get him!" Mheetu let out a yowl, turning to fast that he tripped over his own paws and rolled head over heals. One of the hyenas reached him almost immediately, tongue flopping out of his jaws as the mix-matched eyes focused then unfocused on the young lion.

"Aaahhh!" Mheetu trembled as the bigger carnivore took the final stride toward him and—tripped, flying over the lion cubs' head to gouge a small dent in the dirt. Then two voices broke out in discordant yelps of irritation and the sky went dark for a minute as the two other approaching hyenas tripped over their fallen companion and also soared over Mheetus' head.

"Wow," he muttered, immensely impressed with his luck.

"Ed you idiot!" the female hissed, struggling to untangle herself from the other male and get to Mheetu.

"Time to go!" the yellow cub yelped, jumping to his feet and springing over the first hyena to race down the top edge of the gorge. As he ran Mheetu forgot about the sore muscles he had woken up with, his short legs pumping rhythmically as they carried him across the shortly cropped grass. The young male pulled air deep into his lungs, put his head up while his bright eyes searched ahead for the smoothest path. "Just try and catch me now!" he shouted, thrilled with his escape.

"Get back here you little punk!" a male yelled, but Mheetu just laughed and put on another burst of speed. He could hear the three hyenas pounding on his heels, but the lion cub had already reached the edge of the plain and the trio was no match as he began to dodge around the small but numerous trees that sprung up from no where.

Scheming, Mheetu took a ninety-degree turn at full speed, sending the bigger animals scrambling for footholds as they tried to keep up. Suddenly the cub burst out of the small copse of trees and the world dropped away before him. Digging his claws in Mheetu tucked his head to his chest as he clung to rocky earth and swung his haunches around to face the opposite direction. Immediately the small cub leapt forward again, darting gleefully between the legs of the surprised hyenas who threw themselves to the ground to avoid sliding over the edge.

"Suckers!" he yelled over his shoulder, sticking his pink tongue out at them.

"Why you little brat!" the female growled, struggling to her feet again.

"You three! Get down there! Now!" A voice boomed from across the gorge and Mheetu caught a flash of red and black as he sprinted off again, the confused looking hyena still snapping at his heels.

"But boss!" he heard the other male whine back. The little lion heard a snarling response and then nothing as he pounded further away, trying to shake off the third hyena.

"Hee hee eeeee heh," the scavenger giggled insanely. Mheetu felt speckles of spit land on his haunches and darting a glance over his shoulder saw that his pursuer was almost on top of him! The cub put on a burst of speed, no longer feeling so full of energy and power as he ran.

"Ed get back here!" he vaguely heard one of the other hyenas yell and Mheetu dared a glance over his shoulder. Unexpectedly the ground dropped out from beneath his paws making the lion yelp in fear as he stumbled off the riverbank and landed with a splash in the water.

Mheetu felt a moment of panic as the cool water closed in around him; he couldn't see, water was flowing into his nose and he didn't know which way was up. Then he broke the surface, desperately gulping both air and water as his paws splashed sloppily to try and keep his little body afloat.

"Momma!" he cried instinctively, coughing as he swallowed more water. The shoreline rushed by as Mheetu struggled to stay afloat, finally getting a rough paddle that kept his head above water. "Gehck!" he choked on some half swallowed water, eyes still unfocused from the unexpected dunking. The roar in his ears grew louder and the little lion felt his body being pulled faster by the current.

_Uh oh…_ he thought apprehensively, paddling harder to try and get his head higher to see what was downstream. With a lot of splashing the cub managed to get most of his neck out of the water, then instantly sank down again when all he saw was the foamy white water disappearing. "Waterfall!" Mheetu screamed as the current dragged him closer to the roaring drop.


	6. Half a Happy Ending

**Chapter 6: Half A Happy Ending**

"Aaahhh!" Mheetu screamed as the swift flowing river squeezed between two wet boulders, forcing his head underwater momentarily. The yellow cub popped back up, sputtering and half blinded by the foaming water. The world suddenly dropped out beneath him and for a moment the little lion couldn't tell up from down. Almost instantly though Mheetu hit the pool at the bottom, his furry body sinking a little then rising up to the choppy surface of the stream. Still coughing, his eyes full of the water, the lion cub instinctively paddled a few strokes, his paws quickly encountering the sandy bottom.

Mheetu slogged forward until all four feet were firmly on the ground. Glancing back over his shoulder he could just make out that the huge waterfall he had been expecting was only about two feet high, the rushing water pooling into a small pond. But the dazed cub could still hear the distinct pounding of water falling from a height. There was still a strong tugging at his paws though, and too weary to fight the pull of the current, the young lion let it lead his tired pawsteps forward.

"Hey kid watch it!" a raspy voice vaguely registered in the cubs exhausted mind. Dimly Mheetu heard the splash of paws in water and felt teeth sink into the scruff of his neck. The yellow cub let out a growl, instinctively swiping out with a paw at his attacker. Mheetu felt a rumbling response issue from his captors throat and the little lion finally recovered enough from his trip down the river to realize whoever was carrying him was doing so gently.

"Pleh," the creature spat out as it set him gently on the gravely shore. "You are one wet cub!" Blue-green eyes finally cleared of water Mheetu looked up at the cheetah curiously. "What?" the lithe hunter asked him, "Did you _want_ to go over the edge?"

Pointing with a spotted paw the young male drew Mheetus' attention to where the cub had been heading in his delirium. Eyes open wide the yellow cub took a few cautious steps forward, pausing and thanking the great kings for the comforting feeling of solid ground beneath his pads. Just in front of his small paws the world dropped away, the water from the pool plummeting hundreds of feet into the jungle below and creating the roaring sound he'd been hearing.

"I don't think you would have made it kiddo," the cheetah spoke up, sitting down to lick the water from his paws.

"Th…thanks," Mheetu managed to get out, backing nervously away from the edge and over to where the other cat sat. Taking in his surrounding Mheetu saw that they were at the end of the gorge, where the steep cliffs flattened out join the grassy plains. The wildebeest herd that the hyenas had sent stampeding not too long ago was already grazing peacefully nearby. "Thank you," the cub repeated to his savior.

"No prob," the spotted teen replied with a toothy grin. "I'm Enric by the way. What're you doin out here all alone?"

"I kinda wandered too far from home," the yellow cub murmured, slightly embarrassed.

"Ahh," Enric nodded, suddenly seeming to realize how down hearted the young lion was. "When was the last time you ate munchkin? I've got a little snack here I can a share with ya," he said good naturedly, laughing as Mheetus' face jerked up to reveal a mouth drooling in excitement. "Over here," the teen smirked, padding away from the water with Mheetu on his heels. Eagerly the yellow cub dug into the young wildebeest Enric showed him, informing the lion that the creature had injured its leg in the stampede, making it easy prey.

"So how'd ya end up floatin in the river?" the cheetah questioned as Mheetu ate. "Din't your mom teach ya how to swim?"

"A hyena chased me and I didn't see the water until I fell in it," he explained, gulping down a bite of meat.

"Hyena?! And ya escaped? Wicked!" Enric exclaimed and Mheetu began to catch his excitement.

"Well I'd already slipped away from two of 'em," Mheetu added proudly sitting down and licking his paw with apparent disinterest; all the while watching the young cheetah from the corner of his eye.

"So ya had three of 'em after ya? Tell me about it!" Enric burst out, looking down at the cub with new admiration.

"Well it all started when I felt their cool shadows flow over my back…" Mheetu launched into his tale, embellishing on the events a little and acting out certain parts to show his new friend. "The three hyenas were right on my heels, threatening to eat me for lunch!" The little cub set himself into a clumsy hunters crouch, then bounded from side to side, pretending to be chased by the scavengers.

"But I was faster at turning, so I led them around and around in circles through the wildebeest. This scared the wildebeest though and they started to stampede, rushing towards the edge of the gorge. Two of the hyenas got swept up in the tide, tut the third was still chasing me! I could feel his spit on my heels, so I put on a burst of speed and exploded out of the herd. But the bloodthirsty hyena was still behind me! As he snapped at my heels I spun around and slashed at his nose, like this!"

Mheetu demonstrated with a sudden leap forward, swiping the air with claws extended, close enough to Enric to make the cheetah jerk back in surprise. "That's when my back paw hit the rock and I tumbled into the river, but not before I heard the hyena cry in pain!" The yellow cub finished with a fierce growl, breathing hard from the excitement and fervor he'd put into his tale.

"Wow, impressive little man!" Enric commented, giving the small cub a friendly push with his paw. "You make a pretty good story teller."

"Thanks," Mheetu replied, blushing from the praise. Looking down at his paws though the young lion was reminded how sore they were and felt a stab of homesickness. "Hey Enric," he asked cautiously, "Thanks for sharing your food with me but…umm…can you show me how to get back to pride rock?"

"Sure little buddy," the teenage cheetah nodded, "Let's polish off this snack though, no point feeding the buzzards!" Mheetu agreed eagerly, digging in alongside the bigger cat.

* * *

"Ya can see it from up here!" Enric called, standing on top of an angular boulder. With a grunt Mheetu pulled himself up as well, the sun turning his light colored pelt slightly golden. "See it?" the cheetah asked, looking down at the cub who had crawled into the shade of his shadow.

"Yeah! And there's the path King Mufasa takes when he patrols the border!" the little lion pointed out happily.

"Sure ya don't want me walkin back with ya?" asked the cheetah. "It's still a pretty long ways, probably take you till dusk."

"I'll be fine," Mheetu assured him, jumping down from the rock, eager to be heading home. "Thanks for everything Enric!"

"Come out 'n visit me sometime!" the teenager called after the cub as he raced toward pride rock. "But I wouldn't take the river like last time if I was you!" Mheetu laughed and flicked his tail in goodbye, his paws hitting the packed dirt of the border path with a slap and small cloud of dust.

_The mighty adventurer is going home!_ The yellow cub thought playfully. With a full belly and home in sight all the bad memories of the last day faded away. Mheetu completely forgot about his fight with Nala, the weary trek from last night and the fear he'd felt when being chased by the hyenas and washed down the river; now his only thoughts where on what an adventure the whole thing had been.

_Triumphant the great explorer re-enters his land. _Mheetu continued, letting his imagination take off._ His paws know the land by heart as he strides through the savannah, following paths that he has known since youth…._

* * *

Hours later the yellow cub finally reached the familiar watering hole, thankfully lapping up the cool wetness with his tongue. Enric had been right; dusk had fallen as Mheetu neared home, the darkening sky making it more difficult to pick out the path home. But now the moon was rising, just a crescent but it's bright light casting shadows. The young lion felt the hairs on his neck prickle; feeling like someone was watching him. But glancing around and seeing nothing Mheetu dismissed the feeling and set off again.

_At least I know this part really well_, the cub thought to himself, wincing as one of his paws hit a sharp rock._ Maybe I should have let the hunting party see me…_ he grumbled, thinking back to when he had spotted a small troupe of the lionesses out and hidden from them. The little lion shook his head. _No! The other cubs will think it's way cooler if I come home on my own, not dangling from the jaws of some lioness!_ Determined once more the young lion continued marching home, ignoring the aching of his overused muscles.

"So it with a heavy heart that I assume the throne." Mheetu's ears perked up as he caught a familiar voice and scented the lionesses. The yellow cub jogged forward, he was almost home!

"Momma!" Mheetu squealed, rounding a boulder and catching sight of her. He raced the last few steps up to her, eyes bright with happiness.

"Mheetu!" Sarafina cried, her yell interrupting Scar. "Oh my little boy!" the lioness cried shamelessly, pulling her cub close. "You're ok, you're ok!" she repeated over and over as she hugged him.

"Oof!" Mheetu grunted as she squished him a little. "Of course I'm ok!"

"Mheetu, I'm so sorry!" Nalas' voice was so anguished that her brother felt his heart plummet.

_Did I hurt her that much by running away?_ The cub thought, pushing out of his mother's grasp to catch a glimpse of Nala. It was then that the little lion noticed the entire pride was gathered at the base of Pride Rock. His eyes darting from sad face to sad face the yellow cub felt a growing sense of unease. Then his gaze drifted to where Scar stood a few pawsteps up the ramp to the den, and Mheetu shivered involuntary at the coldness in those green eyes.

"Mama," he asked, voice quavering a little, "What's going on?" His fear grew as Nala rubbed up against him, still sniffling as tears ran down her face.

"Simba's dead," she whispered, so only he could hear.

"Wha…" Mheetu gasped, feeling as though all the air had been knocked from his lungs.

The world began spinning and the cub didn't even register as Scar growled with barely suppressed anger, "May I continue?" Mheetu leaned against his mothers solid leg for support, barely feeling the gentle paw she ran over his back in comfort, or the soothing 'shhh' that issued from her mouth. Ignoring the little family Scar continued his speech, ascending higher on Pride Rock.

"Mufasa too," Nala whispered, her voice occasionally breaking into a hiccup as she fought the tears. "And when you didn't come back either mama thought that maybe you…you…" The cream colored lioness lost control, sobbing unreservedly into her brothers light fur.

"I'm sorry," was all Mheetu could think of to say, still fighting to keep the world from spinning under his paws. _I never thought…so much happened…how…why…_ His brain just ran full tilt in no direction, unable to comprehend the magnitude of what had occurred. Suddenly he heard Nala gasp, and his mother let out a fierce growl as she stepped protectively over her cubs.

"He wouldn't!" Fina rumbled as her children cowered behind her front paws. Nala whimpered fearfully as the legions of hyenas kept pouring forth from the shadows; their maniacal laughter floating over the savannah.

"A great and glorious future!" They heard Scar proclaimed from the promontory, causing the cackling to grow even louder. Again Mheetu felt as though there was no air in his lungs; the world began to spin, then became blurry—and went dark.

* * *

_A/N- Hope you guys liked the update! I changed the scene at Pride Rock just a little bit (I don't usually like to do that) but I figured it wasn't enough to make too much difference. Also the whole waterfall thing is referenced from a scene in the Lion King 1 1/2 so it is totally believable!...Ok, close enough at least ;) And only one chapter left, so please leave me some good reviews!_


	7. Reality Check

_A/N- Extremely sorry for the long time between updates, please enjoy this especially long last chapter as compensation!_

_Chumvi and Kula are copyright of The Lion King Six New Adventures books, Tojo and Tama are from the comics. If anyone is interested I can give you links to the stories. Soma and Etari are mine._

* * *

**Chapter 7: Reality Check**

Weeks passed in the Pride Lands while Mheetu recovered from his little adventure and the hyenas settled into life alongside the pride. In the beginning the mother lions were extremely watchful and protective of their cubs, but as the youngsters grew and the two species grew accustomed to living side by side they relaxed a little. Though the mothers did not entirely trust the scavengers they once more felt comfortable leaving their children with a babysitter. In addition every possible lioness was needed to help hunt down the remaining herds that were diminishing as the lands dried out from the lack of rain. The new king watched from the promontory, assuring all that when the rains came things would get better—they just had to be patient.

* * *

"Hey Bro!" Nalas' happy cry made a sleeping Mheetu twitch his ears and the yellow cub raised his head up to watch her approach. Since Scar had become king the little lion had finally caught up to his year mates in size. His head just reached his mothers shoulder, and the hairs on the top of his head had lengthened and turned a light brown, extending in a short stripe down his neck. "Mom offered to take us to the watering hole for a swim, come on!" his sister gasped out eagerly as she slid to a stop by him and the other cubs.

"But I promised Bhati that I'd visit him today," the young male answered with a sharp yawn, rolling to his stomach and stretching.

"I wanna go swimming!" Tojo piped up. The gold-brown cub jumped up, the half-grown birds who followed him everywhere taking flight and chirping loudly.

"Yeah! Me too!" Tama and Chumvi chorused, laughing as they echoed one anothers words.

"Cool, let's go then!" Nala smiled, her tail flicking in eagerness. "Come on Mheetu, you know mom's not going to let you stay here by yourself," the cream colored lioness addressed her younger brother.

"I'll stay with him," Kula supplied, smiling shyly at the yellow lion cub. Almost imperceptibly Mheetu sat up straighter, doing his best to look grown-up.

"Oww!" he yelped as Nala suddenly whapped him on the nose with her tail.

"I was talking about an adult," Nala corrected herself, rolling her eyes at the new interest Kula had taken in her annoying little brother.

"Miehka has a sore paw so she's staying here today, and mom's let us go and play with Bhati on our own if there's still someone at Pride Rock," he reasoned with her, scowling slightly as he rubbed his abused nose. Nala looked at him skeptically for a minute. Mheetu did have a point that their mom didn't mind them playing alone so long as they were near Pride Rock, but she still never liked to admit that her little brother was right on any occasion.

"Fine," the young lioness finally relented, avoiding the happy smirk on Mheetus' face. "So me, Tama, Chumvi, Tojo…Kula's staying with Mhee…Soma what about you?"

"Sure, I'd like to go swimming," the clay colored cub responded, pushing himself to his paws, clubbed hind foot turned out at the awkward angle it always assumed.

"Actually I changed my mind, I think I'll stay here with Kul and Mhee," Chumvi broke in, slumping against the sun-warmed rock. "I'm feeling to lazy to hike all the way to the watering hole."

"Fine," Nala grumbled, getting a little annoyed at her playmate. "Anyone else? Where's Etari?"

"Running errands for Scar, come on let's go and cool off!" Tama commanded, playfully butting Nala to get her moving.

"You better stick near Bahti Mhee," she shouted back to her younger brother. "Mom'll be so mad if you run off again!"

"I haven't run off in months!" the yellow cub growled as the group padded away, glaring at his sister as she and Tama began laughing at his reply.

"Mheetu, are we gonna go?" Kula asked him cautiously, peering at the other cub as he was lost in his griping.

"Sorry," the young lion apologized, flashing his crush a small smile. "Come on, let's go see Bhati."

"Wait for me!" Chumvi hollered, bounding forward to catch up with the duo who seemed to have forgotten he existed. _Maybe I should have gone swimming_ the brown cub thought as he raced after his two friends.

* * *

"He was so close that I could see his pointed, yellow teeth, but I wasn't afraid!" Bhati perked up his ears as he heard a familiar voice, smiling as he realizes it was his cub friend Mheetu. "I just bared my own teeth back at him and led him towards the river cause I knew that the stupid poacher couldn't swim!" The bat eared fox frowned as the cubs next words drifted over the rocky base of Pride Rock. He knew exactly what story Mheetu was telling, a glorified and exaggerated tale of his adventures on the plain. He had heard the tale over and over again since the yellow cub had come home, and the insectivore was getting slightly bored with it.

"Not tired of that same old story yet?" the red-tinged fox asked as the trio of cubs came into view.

"Kula wanted to hear," Mheetu explained with a blush, trying to hide his embarrassment.

"It was just such a cool adventure," the little lioness added, coming to his rescue and making Mheetu blush even more.

"All adventures sound like that in the re-telling, when the parts about being footsore and hungry are left out," Bhati replied thoughtfully, scratching at one of his large ears with a hind paw. "Tales are glorious when the fear of the hero has been glossed over with false bravery and honorable deeds that were mere instinctive responses."

The trio of yearling cubs stood in dumbfound silence before him. Chumvi and Kula darted disguised glances at Mheetu while the yellow cub fought silently to keep his face from turning red even through his fur.

"Forgive me," Bhati suddenly apologized, realizing that he may have gone too far. "I've spent too much time alone thinking today. What were you three up to?"

"Just looking for something to do," Chumvi replied.

"Well you guys are a bit too big to fit down the tunnels anymore, how about playing that new version of hide and seek…what did you call it?"

"Meerkats?" Mheetu asked, finally recovered from the upheaval about the brilliance of his adventure. "Where when you find the person you have to hide with them?" Bhati nodded.

"I get to hide first!" Kula squealed, shoving playfully against Chumvi as he opened his mouth to protest.

"Fine," he relented, rolling his eyes. "Just remember to use the boundaries we set up last time, not too far from Pride Rock."

"No prob," the young lioness assured them, racing off as soon as the males covered their eyes and began counting.

"49, 50! Ready or not here we come!" Chumvi and Mheetu chorused, all three animals quickly dropping their paws from their eyes and looking for any sign of Kula.

"I've got this way!" Chumvi shouted, and the brown male began trotting back the way the cubs had originally come.

"I'll go the other," Mheetu hollered, turning to take off when Bhati spoke up.

"Mhee, hang on a second. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings earlier." The yellow cub hesitated, looking back at the insectivore. Bhati sat quietly on the dusty earth, his nose pointed down respectfully as he waited for the cubs judgment on his apology.

"It's ok," the yellow lion assured his friend, grinning impishly at the fox. But when Bhati raised his head, the still disappointed look on his face made Mheetu suddenly feel ashamed again. The cub nervously began scuffing at the earth with a paw. "I mean…I guess you were kind of right," he admitted with a sigh. "That story…it really…I don't know…" he continued, face contorted as he struggled to find the right words. "It's true, but it's not…Most of the time while I was out there I was just tired. I wasn't thinking about what a great adventure I was having and how everyone was going to be impressed…I just wanted to get home…"

"We were all pretty worried about you," the fox told him. "I felt like I had made a huge mistake when you were still missing that night…I thought that maybe there was some way I could have stopped you." The yellow cub looked up at the tawny insectivore in surprise.

"Your fault? I was the one who stormed off…"

"Yes but I still felt responsible," Bhati responded. "Soma felt horrible too, he was the one who came back and told me when you got home. We were both so relieved."

"I didn't realize everyone was so upset," Mheetu admitted, sitting down beside Bhati; both of them had completely forgotten about the game. "I mean, I knew mom would be hysterical but…the whole pride was worried about me..." The yellow lion let out a sigh, "I really wasn't thinking that day huh?"

"Nah, but everyone expects cubs to get into trouble. It's part of what makes being a kid so fun," the fox chuckled. "Come on though," Bhati ordered, springing to his paws. "We better go find Kula before Chumvi does!" Mheetu was suddenly struck by an image of the two other cubs hiding behind a boulder somewhere, side by side and giggling that he and Bhati hadn't found them yet.

"I'm supposed to be the one hiding with her!" the yellow cub growled out, darting after Bhati as they began to search for the missing lioness.

* * *

Hours later the cubs and Bhati had tired of their games and were hiding from the mid-day sun on the cool earth in the shade of Pride Rock.

"Maybe we should have gone swimming, it's hot!" Chumvi complained. The brown cub was sprawled out on his belly, legs splayed to come in contact with as much of the cool stone as possible.

"Maybe," Kula replied lazily, not even opening her eyes. Suddenly a cry of despair was carried to them on the wind. "That sounded like one of the lionesses…" Kula said, her tone worried as she rolled up to try and find the source of the cry.

"I wonder what's wrong…." Mheetu muttered.

"We better go see," Kula stated, jumping down from her boulder perch.

"Come back and tell me if it's important," Bhati piped up as the two males followed Kula. "I prefer to avoid those hyenas if possible, I'm still not sure that they won't eat me if they get hungry enough."

"Ok, we'll tell you what's up," Mheetu shouted back over his shoulder as the trio trotted toward the front of Pride Rock. "Later B!"

"Is that your mom?" Kula asked as they wandered around the corner and saw two lionesses standing not too far away on the savannah.

"I think so…" Mheetu responded, some uneasy feeling in the air making him hesitate in approaching.

"Soma!" the other lioness cried out in anguish. Chumvi and Kula stopped and exchanged nervous glances but Mheetu was off like a shot.

"Momma! Momma what happened?" he cried, racing over and skidding to a halt when he caught sight of the lump of red-brown fur in between the two adults. "Soma?" he whispered, voice quivering. Mheetu took a hesitant step closer, blue-green eyes huge in shock.

"I don't know what happened Gali," his mother was stammering, her voice rough and choked as she fought back tears. "Him and Nala were playing in the shallows, and I called Nala over to get a rock out of her paw. When I looked up he was gone!"

"My little boy, wake up," Gali cried, heartbroken. The light brown lioness nudged the sodden mass of fur with her nose, crystal tears soaking her muzzle.

"Mom…is he?" Mheetu asked fearfully, unable to take his eyes off the mother and cub. Sarafina didn't answer, but she pulled her youngest child close, crying silently as Gali continued wailing over the lifeless bundle that had been her son only that morning.

* * *

"I just feel so horrible Sarabi, like I could have saved him." Mheetu had a sense of Déjà vu as his mother repeated almost word for word what Bhati had said to him that morning. The sun was just touching the horizon, and the pride had recently returned from paying their final respects to Soma.

"It wasn't your fault Fina. It was an accident," the queen answered as Mheetu trotted over and set down a zebra haunch.

"I brought you dinner mom," he said quietly, the sad atmosphere weighing heavily on him.

"Thank you Mhee," Sarafina replied, smiling gratefully at her son. Mheetu nodded and turned to walk out of the cave when he suddenly changed his mind. Instead of leaving the young lion turned and rubbed his head against his mothers affectionately, surprising both of them. "Who are you and what have you done with my son?" Fina joked, catching his eyes and laughing a little.

"I just…wanted to say that I agree with Sarabi," Mheetu muttered, feeling embarrassed and thinking he was too old for such displays of affection. But the young lion continued, "I wanted to make sure that you weren't too upset about what happened. She's right, it was an accident."

"Why Mheetu," his mother stared at him in unabashed surprise, "That's very kind of you." Suddenly the mother lioness broke out into a huge smile and before Mheetu could react she gave him a loving lick. "It's nice to see my little boy growing up and being concerned about others." The yellow lion muttered thanks and hurried out of the cavern before she could embarrass him more. But as he stepped out into the sun Mheetu couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in the praise his mother had given him.

_Guess being grown up isn't all that hard,_ he thought to himself, staring out at the vast savannah and swishing his tail happily. _And I sure made mom happy!_ Suddenly the cub caught sight of his sister padding up the ramp and turning up the path that led to the very tip of the promontory. _Looks like Nala's still upset,_ he thought. _Maybe I can make her feel better too!_ He set off after her, fueled by the happy feeling his mothers praise had left in him. The yellow lion caught up to his sister just as she sat down on the stone platform with a sigh.

"Hey sis, you ok?" Mheetu asked, quietly padding over and sitting next to her.

"Hey bro," Nala replied quietly, acknowledging his presence without taking her eyes away from the savannah.

"Still upset about Soma?" the yellow cub asked, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "It wasn't your fault or anything…"

"I know!" Nala barked out, cutting him off sharply. The creamy lioness glared at him, making Mheetu squirm uncomfortably. Finally Nala took her gaze off him, turning back to the horizon. "I was thinking about Simba actually," she said, tail slowly swishing from one side to another. "How he would have thought of some great way to say goodbye to Soma."

"I kinda liked what I said," Mheetu commented, smiling as he thought back to the ceremony and his own goodbye to the good-natured lion.

"You're still such a cub sometimes!" Nala broke out, fury on her face as she stood up. "All you can think about is yourself and whether whatever happens will cut into your little games! You don't have any idea what this means for the whole pride!" The young lionesses tone was pure venom and Mheetu cringed away from her involuntarily. "First we lose Simba and King Mufasa, and now another cub dies and you don't even care!"

"I do too!" Mheetu hissed back, though he leaned back as Nala bared her teeth. Seeing him draw back the young lioness took a moment to compose herself, taking several deep breaths.

"Soma knows how to swim just fine," Nala began again, sitting down in more control of herself. "I don't…I don't think it was an accident."

"What else could have happened then?" Mheetu questioned, starting out sarcastically but falling into seriousness when he saw Nalas' face. His sisters blue eyes were wary, and the underlying fear sent a shiver down his spine.

"Just…just be careful Mhee," she finally told him, staring longingly once more over the savannah.

"Sure," he agreed carefully, still watching her in anxious curiosity. The two littermates sat side by side for a minute, silently watching the inhabitants of the savannah go about their nightly rituals. "You gonna be ok Sis?" Mheetu finally spoke up, cocking his head.

"Yeah," Nala sighed, her gaze drifting up the wispy clouds in the sky. "I just wanna stay up here and think a little longer."

"Ok," her brother accepted, standing up and turning to go. "I'm gonna be with mom, come find us when you're ready."

"Thanks Mhee," Nala smiled at her sibling who nodded in acknowledgement and then set off down the path.

_I wonder what she thinks really happened to Soma,_ Mheetu thought as he navigated down the rocky trail. _No one would want to hurt him…._ Lost in thought the young lion didn't see the three hyenas until he almost bumped into them.

"Hey cub, watch it!" One of them growled, roughly shoving the young lion aside. "We're going to see the king so stay out of our way." Mheetu stuttered out a surprised apology, hurriedly stepping back and watching them head toward the cavern where the pride slept.

"It's about time you three! Get over here! Now!" Scar's voice boomed from the cave and the scavengers scurried inside.

"Déjà vu," the cub muttered, taking a single step before it hit him why the scene felt so familiar. _That day at the gorge….that's exactly what someone yelled to the hyenas chasing me. And that one sounded familiar…could they be the ones who started the stampede?_ Mheetu looked toward the cave where they had disappeared and almost took a step forward when Nalas' words echoed in his ears. 'Be careful Mhee.' The young lion shivered for some reason he couldn't peg down and immediately trotted away to find his mother.

"I'm being silly," he told himself as he padded down the ramp. "Even if it was them why would they start a stampede on purpose? I'm sure they were just hunting, they couldn't have known that Simba was down there." Once again he heard Scars' words and Mheetu came to a dead stop. "No," he breathed, casting a fearful glance over his shoulder at the dark cave entrance. "He couldn't have…I'm just imaging it sounded like him…but Soma…and Nala thinks…" The cub couldn't get a full thought out before another was born in his mind; a chain reaction that sent his head spinning.

"No," he told himself firmly. "I'm not going to jump to conclusions, that's something a cub would do." Purposefully he started down the ramp again, spotting his mother and Sarabi in the shade nearby and marching over. _But I am going to be watchful,_ he promised himself silently. _If it is true I won't let anything happen to mom and Nala. Or anyone else! I swear it…._

* * *

_A/N- First off I want to apologize to anyone who is not happy with this ending. I never intended this story to go past Mheetu's cubhood (hence the title 'Me too' to emphasize him being a tag-a-long). Potentially I may make a sequel but as of now I'm not sure what exactly I think happened to him under Scar's reign. When I figure that out I may continue this plot line.  
_

_As always please review and comment on my writing. Also if you enjoyed this story please check out my next story, Royal Bloodline, posted here at fanfiction. Thanks for reading!_


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